Shower rod mount

ABSTRACT

A shower rod mount specifically designed for curved shower rods that is a one-piece integral unit that has a protruding shaft that mates with the shower rod that is attached to a base. The base is for mounting on the wall to receive the shower rod with the protruding shaft. The base has a convex shape so that it can rock against the wall to accommodate different angles of approach of the shower rod and contain a sufficient amount of give. A sleeve fits over the base that can receive decorative covers to suit the design desires of the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of shower rodmounts and particularly toward a shower rod mount designed to receivecurved shower rods.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Standard shower rods are usually a tubular rod that is straight and thatmounts directly on the walls surrounding the bathtub. Most bathtubs areeither five feet or six feet long and the distance between the wallsconsistent with the length of the bathtub. When a straight shower rod isinstalled, there is no problem with give on the mounts that mount to thewall and that receive the rod because the mount are mounted straight tothe wall and do not have to accommodate the rod meeting the mount at anangle.

Recently curved shower rods have been used in place of straight showerrods. The curved shower rods, while offering a unique look, also havethe practical effect of creating more space in the shower because thecurtain bows out beyond the area of the tub that is enclosed when usinga straight shower rod.

Because the shower rod is curved, the mount will need to have someangular give against the wall so that it can receive the curved showerrod at the angle it approaches the wall. Prior art has included suchmounts as those described in U.S. Pat. No. D552,455. Such a mountincludes a flat base that is mounted directly against the wall. Then asecond, moving part is attached to the flat base that is able to pivotat an angle to accommodate the angle of the shower rod.

Because the prior art involves the use of a two piece system and amoving part, there is an increased risk of malfunction and the two piecesystem is more cumbersome and expensive to produce than a mount that isone integral piece.

Accordingly there is a need for a shower rod mount that can accommodatea shower rod mount of any size bath tub and that is one integral piece.Furthermore, it should have no moving parts and should have an inherentflexibility to allow for variations in curvature when mounting in anyenvironment, meaning mounting around a bathtub that is any one of avariety of sizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the present invention teaches an integralone-piece shower rod mount designed for a curved shower rod comprising abase portion having a first side, a second side, a top portion and abottom portion. The bottom portion has a convex shape and is to bemounted to a wall at an angle in order to receive a curved shower rod.Attached to the base portion is a shaft portion integrally affixed tothe base portion at an angle in order to receive the curved shower rod.

The above embodiment can be further modified by defining that the baseportion further includes one or more apertures for the placement thereinof mounting screws.

The above embodiment can be further modified by defining that the basefurther includes one or more recesses on the first end and on the secondend, that mate with a protrusion found on a cover that covers the base.

A second embodiment of the instant invention is a method of mounting acurved shower rod comprising the steps of: determining the location on afirst wall at which the curved shower rod will meet the first wall;determining the location on a second wall at which the curved shower rodwill meet the second wall; mounting an integral one-piece shower rodmount on each wall. The integral one-piece shower rod mount furthercomprises a base portion having a first side, a second side, a topportion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion has a convex shape, andis in order to be mounted to a wall at an angle in order to receive thecurved shower rod. Attached to the base portion is a shaft portionintegrally affixed to the base portion at an angle to receive the curvedshower rod; and attaching the shower rod to each of the shower roundmounts mounted on each wall.

The above embodiment can be further modified by defining that the baseportion further includes one or more apertures for the placement thereinof mounting screws.

The above embodiment can be further modified by defining that the basefurther includes one or more recesses on the first end and on the secondend that mate with a protrusion found on a cover that covers the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention can better be understood by reference to the drawings,provided for exemplary purposes, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of how a curved shower rod would mount towalls with two different size bathtubs.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the curved shower rod mount of the instantinvention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the curved shower rod mount of the instantinvention.

FIG. 4A is a side view of the cover that rests over the curved showerrod mount of the instant invention.

FIG. 4B is a side close up view of the base of the shower rod mount ofthe instant invention with a mounting screw attached to the base.

FIG. 5 is a side view that includes the views seen in FIGS. 4A and 4Bbut with the cover attached to the shower rod mount.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the standard cover that attaches to theshower rod mount.

FIG. 7 is a decorative square cover that attaches over the standardcover that attaches to the shower rod mount.

FIG. 8 is a decorative round cover that attaches over the standard coverthat attaches to the shower rod mount.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The instant invention describes an adjustable shower rod mount that isone integral piece and that curves to slight angles to accommodatediffering mounting angles of shower rods as a result of the use of acurved shower rod on a variety of different sized bath tubs.

FIG. 1 shows a top plan of a curved shower rod 10 that surrounds abathtub (not shown) to be situated in the space 12 between the walls 14,16, 18, 20. A standard bathtub that is five feet long can bedemonstrated to fit between the walls 14, 16 at a distance L1. Astandard bathtub that is six feet long can be demonstrated to fitbetween the walls 18, 20 at a distance L2.

The ends of the shower rod 22, 24 for a distance L1 attach to the mounts26, 28 at a first angle α1 while the ends of the shower rod 30, 32 for adistance L2 attach to the mounts 34, 36 at a second angle α2. It is tobe understood that while five foot and six foot long bathtubs arestandard in the industry, it is within the scope of the invention to usethe shower rod mounts for a curved shower rod for use on a bathtub ofany length. By looking at FIG. 1, it is easy to note the problem that iscreated by attempting to mount a curved shower rod around differentlength bathtubs. The angle at which the rod mounts to the wall isslightly different depending on the length of the bathtub. It is thisproblem that the instant invention seeks to solve in a cost-effective,simple manner.

The shower rod mount 40 of the instant invention can be seen close up inFIGS. 2 and 3. The mount is one integral piece that allows forsimplicity in manufacturing rather than being a two-piece mount with amoving part, which requires more complex tooling to manufacture andprovides an extra area of possible malfunction. The mount 40 is composedof a base 42 that has a top portion 44 that includes one or more holes46 that extend through the base 42 through the uniquely curved convexshape bottom 48. The slight convex curve in the base 48 is what givesthe mount the flexibility to accommodate differing angles of mounting ofthe curved shower rod. The mount can flex with ease, once mounted due tothis curved convex bottom. The mounting shaft 64 extends at an anglefrom the base 42 that receives the curved shower rod.

Referring to FIGS. 4-5, it is shown how the mount is mounted to the walland covered with a decorative cover. When ready to mount on the wall,one or more screws 50 are placed through the one or more holes 46 in thebase 42 and screwed to the wall. Referring back to FIG. 2, it can beseen that one or more bumps 52 are located on the side of the base 42that are there to receive a standard cover (see FIG. 6) or a decorativecover (see FIGS. 7 and 8). No matter which cover is used, there exists acavity 70 into which the standard cover attaches to the base 42. It isdesirable to use the standard cover as a gasket between the base and themore decorative covers as the decorative covers are typically made of aless resilient material than the standard cover.

The decorative covers 54, 56 include a recess on the inside thatcorresponds to the shape of the standard cover 58 which includes one ormore bumps 60 to correspond to the one or more recesses 52 in the base42 of the mount 40. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, the decorativecover 54 that houses the standard cover 58 could be the square covershown in FIG. 7 or the round cover shown in FIG. 8. The standard cover58 includes a hole 62 through which the shaft 64 of the mount 40extends. Furthermore, the decorative covers 54, 56 (seen in FIGS. 7 and8) also include holes 66, 68 through which the shaft 64 of the mount 40extends.

The instant invention can also be used on straight shower rods. Oftenwalls are not perfectly parallel so the give provided by the instantinvention is useful when such a situation occurs.

The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatorypurposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the appendedclaims. This disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of theprinciples of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit andscope of the invention and/or claims of the embodiment illustrated.Those skilled in the art will make modifications to the invention forparticular applications of the invention.

The discussion included in this patent is intended to serve as a basicdescription. The reader should be aware that the specific discussion maynot explicitly describe all embodiments possible and alternatives areimplicit. Also, this discussion may not fully explain the generic natureof the invention and may not explicitly show how each feature or elementcan actually be representative or equivalent elements. Again, these areimplicitly included in this disclosure. Where the invention is describedin device-oriented terminology, each element of the device implicitlyperforms a function. It should also be understood that a variety ofchanges may be made without departing from the essence of the invention.Such changes are also implicitly included in the description. Thesechanges still fall within the scope of this invention.

Further, each of the various elements of the invention and claims mayalso be achieved in a variety of manners. This disclosure should beunderstood to encompass each such variation, be it a variation of anyapparatus embodiment, a method embodiment, or even merely a variation ofany element of these. Particularly, it should be understood that as thedisclosure relates to elements of the invention, the words for eachelement may be expressed by equivalent apparatus terms even if only thefunction or result is the same. Such equivalent, broader, or even moregeneric terms should be considered to be encompassed in the descriptionof each element or action. Such terms can be substituted where desiredto make explicit the implicitly broad coverage to which this inventionis entitled. It should be understood that all actions may be expressedas a means for taking that action or as an element which causes thataction. Similarly, each physical element disclosed should be understoodto encompass a disclosure of the action which that physical elementfacilitates. Such changes and alternative terms are to be understood tobe explicitly included in the description.

1. An integral one-piece shower rod mount designed for a curved showerrod comprising: a base portion, said base portion having a first side, asecond side, a top portion and a bottom portion, said bottom portionhaving a convex shape, said bottom portion to be mounted to a wall at anangle in order to receive said curved shower rod; a shaft portionintegrally affixed to said base portion at an angle on order to receivesaid curved shower rod.
 2. The integral one-piece shower rod mount asdefined claim 1 wherein said base portion further includes one or moreapertures for the placement therein of mounting screws.
 3. The integralone-piece shower rod mount as defined in claim 1 wherein said basefurther includes one or more recesses on said first end and on saidsecond end, said recesses to mate with a protrusion found on a coverthat covers said base.
 4. A method of mounting a curved shower rodcomprising the steps of: determining the location on a first wall atwhich said curved shower rod will meet said first wall; determining thelocation on a second wall at which said curved shower rod will meet saidsecond wall; mounting an integral one-piece shower rod mount on each ofsaid first wall and said second wall, said integral one-piece shower rodmount further comprising: a base portion, said base portion having afirst side, a second side, a top portion and a bottom portion, saidbottom portion having a convex shape, said bottom portion to be mountedto a wall at an angle in order to receive said curved shower rod; ashaft portion integrally affixed to said base portion at an angle inorder to receive said curved shower rod; and attaching said shower rodto each of said one-piece shower round mounts mounted on said first walland said second wall.
 5. The method as defined claim 4 wherein said baseportion further includes one or more apertures for the placement thereinof mounting screws.
 6. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein saidbase further includes one or more recesses on said first end and on saidsecond end, said recesses to mate with a protrusion found on a coverthat covers said base.